Haunted
by M.H. Torringjan
Summary: A mystery from Michael's past looms over his conscience. He may have to leave the scouts to protect them from the enemy they never knew. Unless it's too late... C&C appreciated!


Haunted  
  
A Sailor Moon original flavor fanfic  
By: M.H. Torringjan  
  
Okay, for starters, I don't own Sailor Moon. Naoko Takeuchi does. I made   
up the character of Michael Cross, so if anyone has any reason to use him, he   
or she must ask me first. So there. Any other products that I may mention over   
the course of this fanfic are, for the most part, not mine.  
I came up with this fic because I really haven't said much about Michael's   
past. This may help to fill in some of the gaps of his old home. All I've   
shown was where he lived, and I've mentioned a couple of his friends. As you'll   
see, there's a reason for this. Now, if there's nothing else, I'll get on with   
it!  
BTW, the rating on this will probably be around about R for a large amount   
of blood and gore. Also, the time-line happens after the Heart Snatchers have   
been destroyed, between S and Super S.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Sailor Europa and his companion and mentor, Rigel, turned onto Lime   
Street. They had heard that there was an emergency, but they hadn't expected   
the sight that met them. A thin layer of smoke floated through the air from the   
cars and buildings that had been destroyed. People ran, screaming, in every   
direction except towards the danger.  
"Gee, do you think they're in a rush?" Europa asked. "This should be   
about as fun as usual."  
"I wouldn't say that necessarily," Rigel said to Europa.  
"Come on, it's just another run of the mill criminal," Europa said.  
"One with high-explosives," Rigel countered. Europa ignored the remark.   
People slowly cleared out of the area, leaving Europa and the police eventually   
to deal with the problem. In the middle of the road outside of 632 Lime Street   
stood a tall, black-haired man. His left arm was metallic with various gadgets   
as fingers. Europa saw that he was holding a girl in his right arm. Europa and   
Rigel approached the man.  
"Ah, Sailor Europa!" the man said. His deep bass voice was familiar to   
Europa. "So nice to see you again!" As he got closer, Europa saw that part of   
the man's face had been replaced by metal.  
"Again? I don't believe that we've met!" Europa exclaimed to the man.  
"So, you've forgotten the only man to know your true identity, Michael   
Cross?" the figure said. The girl gasped as well as she could in the man's iron   
grip around her neck.  
"Michael?!" she exclaimed. Europa was close enough to recognize her. It   
was his ex-girlfriend and closest friend, Yvette Lanard.  
"Yvette!" Europa exclaimed. "Look, whoever you are, I'm sure that   
whatever beef you've got with me, it doesn't have anything to do with her."  
"Oh, I'd disagree," the man said. "Anything about your life is of my   
concern, because I have vowed to make it a living hell!"  
"Your voice," Europa said. "It sounds familiar. Tell me where I know you   
from!"  
"A year ago, I was the son of an affluent business-man," the man began.   
"I had been saving up my money to become my ideal occupation for life, an   
assassin! I had planned to begin with the head of InLonEx. During my attempt,   
you came along and stopped me!"  
"Gerolus!" Europa exclaimed in recognition. "What's happened to you?!"  
"Our battle left me severely damaged! Remember that I vowed I would   
return? You scoffed at me!" Gerolus exclaimed.  
"Well, yeah! I mean, who wouldn't? After all, they *do* all say that,"   
Europa replied.  
"Well, I meant it! After the battle, I was barely able to return to my   
home. My father disowned me. Luckily, I was able to take a fair amount of   
their money with me when I left in addition to my extremely large existing bank   
account. I used the money that I had to buy these special-made prosthetics and   
for reconstructive surgery. I spent my time training myself for this rematch.   
I've been an exile, never to rejoin society! And now, I'll show you what it   
means to scoff at me!" Gerolus exclaimed.  
"Okay, so you're hell-bent on killing me," Michael said. "What does she   
have to do with it?"  
"No, I do not want to kill you," Gerolus said. "As I said, I want to make   
your life a living hell! Worse than my own! I will start with taking those   
that are closest to you!" Europa rushed toward Gerolus, hoping to be able to   
reach him before he could do any harm to Yvette. Before Europa could reach   
Gerolus, though, Gerolus had already twisted Yvette's head around to her back.   
Europa froze in his tracks.  
Europa watched as the body fell to the ground, motionless, the eyes   
staring blankly into space from what should have been the back of her head. He   
felt a feeling in his stomach that he'd never felt before. Tears ran from his   
eyes to his chin and dropped to the ground. Yvette was dead. For no reason,   
Gerolus had taken her life. She had known him, loved him, and because of that,   
she had died. She had studied with him. She had gone out to movies with him.   
She had died in front of him. But it wasn't his fault. He wasn't the one who   
had broken her neck with no respect to her friends, family, future, or present.   
Gerolus had taken it all from her with no reason.  
Europa had seen this sort of thing happen to other people in his training,   
but he had never known the feeling for himself. A heat rose in his stomach,   
spreading through his body quickly. He felt like what he thought it felt to be   
drunk, but he couldn't say for sure. Michael had never gotten drunk before, but   
it seemed like that was the right feeling for what he felt.  
He felt his fists clutch and his eyes shut. His only hope was that he   
would open them to the sight of Gerolus laying dead in the street on top of   
Yvette. When he opened them, the sight that met him was the same that he had   
seen at first.  
"So, are you feeling it yet, Europa?" Gerolus asked, sneering. "And just   
think, this is only the beginning! What fun!"  
"You..." was the growl that escaped Europa's throat. His mind filled with   
the feeling that had been flowing through the rest of his body, and he looked at   
the ground at his feet.  
"Europa, what's going on?!" Rigel asked. "Are you all right?!" Europa   
ignored Rigel. He couldn't speak without bursting into tears.  
"Are you going to do anything, Europa?" Gerolus asked. "After all, I just   
killed one of your friends! So, do you feel up to it?" As the sound reached   
Europa's ears, a spike jutted from the ground directly behind Gerolus to twice   
his height. "Oh, is that all? Not bad for a weakling like you!" At this, five   
more spikes rose, surrounding the scoffing assassin. Europa prepared an Earth   
Drop, but before he could release it, Gerolus's metallic fist came flying   
through the wall of earth. Chunks of earth flew towards Europa, causing him to   
jump nimbly out of the way. He had learned long ago not to be hit by his own   
attacks.  
"What are you doing?! You'll destroy the whole block!" Rigel screamed   
from the shelter he had taken in a hedge near the side of the road. Europa   
didn't really know or care what was going on. He just knew that Gerolus would   
have to die. Not only because he had killed Yvette, but because he had promised   
to kill others that he knew. As much as Rigel had told him to hold back in the   
past, that killing the enemy was wrong if it was human, Europa would not let   
Gerolus leave this place alive.  
"Just a little earth wall? I thought you'd have more in store for me!   
Maybe it was just delusions of grandeur," Gerolus taunted. He broke into a dark   
laugh that was only interrupted when a spike of earth appeared inches in front   
of him and was driven through the flesh of his right leg. He gasped in pain and   
bent over, grabbing his leg around where the large chunk of earth had penetrated   
the skin and driven itself straight through even the bone. Gerolus looked up at   
Europa, his face contorted with pain and rage. "How did you do that?!" he   
exclaimed, holding the spot on his leg that was losing blood quickly. Europa's   
only response was to begin walking towards Gerolus. He suspended another   
projectile above his upraised arm. "Do you really think that it's that easy to   
beat me?" Gerolus sneered through his grimace. He took a control from his   
pocket and pressed a button on it. He disappeared a moment later into thin air   
with a final warning. "This isn't the end this time, either!"  
Europa watched as he faded from sight, the hot feeling fading slowly to be   
replaced with an emptiness. He walked to Yvette and fell to his knees at her   
side. Rigel approached from his hiding place slowly. "Michael, how many times   
have I told you to take it slowly? See what happens?" Rigel didn't know Yvette.  
"Rigel, shut your damn mouth," Europa said quietly.  
"Michael, I'm usually willing to put up with your lip," Rigel exclaimed,   
"But I don't want to hear it right now! Someone just died, and it was because   
you were careless!"  
"NO, RIGEL!!" Europa yelled. A spike of earth appeared right in front of   
Rigel's throat, poised to strike. Europa forced his voice down to a whisper.   
"Don't even try to pin this one on me," he whispered. "I wasn't the one who was   
holding her hostage to intimidate me. It's Yvette, Rigel! I suppose you didn't   
notice that."  
"No, Europa, I didn't see! I'm so sorry!" Rigel said, his face showing as   
close to shock as his canine face could. He fought to come up with a recovery   
quickly.  
"Now, this psycho's going to be coming after me until either he or I   
dies," Europa said.  
"Europa, it shouldn't come to-"  
"I think it should, Rigel," Europa said. "For Yvette, for myself, and for   
all of my other friends who are in danger..."  
  
"Michael?" Serena said, waving her hand in front of Michael's face.   
"Wakey-wakey!" Michael had drifted off during the English lesson. He jerked   
back to consciousness and looked at Serena.  
"Sorry, Serena," Michael said, grinning. "Did I miss anything important?"  
"Not really," Serena said. "Mrs. H just let you sleep."  
"Well, I'll have to thank her," Michael said. "I've been missing sleep   
recently."  
"Oh, you been going out with Lita?" Serena asked, grinning smugly.  
"No, just bad dreams," Michael replied. He hadn't been sleeping, but he   
didn't care enough to correct her. "So, what do you want?"  
"It's time for lunch! Don't just sit around here!" Serena said.  
"No, Serena, I don't feel like coming out today," Michael said. The   
memory had drifted out of nowhere. He had tried hard to forget it for the   
longest time. Gerolus couldn't be dead. He had made the same promise once   
before. Fool me once, shame on you, he thought to himself.  
Since that day, he had been working to ready himself for Gerolus. He   
hadn't wanted to make any new friends in this place; they might turn into new   
targets for the madman. Then again, it hadn't really been his choice. The   
Sailor Scouts had to work together, or else they would fail. Or was that really   
true? He hadn't really thought about it since he had met the others. Might it   
be a good time to withdraw from the Sailor Scouts?  
He had been playing with fire for the past year. Luckily, nothing had   
happened. There had been no signs of Gerolus since he had arrived. He had   
almost been able to forget about it until he had started going out with Lita.   
Shadows of memories had loomed dangerously in the back of his head for the past   
month or two. Now that there was no danger to the Earth, it would be easier to   
break off and start alone again. He hated to think about how Lita would take   
it. Another old boyfriend to worry about. He remembered how Serena had reacted   
when Darien had been scorning her, but Lita was hardly Serena.  
"Michael!" Serena exclaimed. He had drifted off again.  
"Oh, sorry, Serena," Michael apologized again. "Just go on without me."  
"Okay," Serena said. "Michael, is something wrong?"  
"Nothing important," Michael replied. "Just something personal." Serena   
frowned and went outside, leaving Michael to eat his lunch alone. It was the   
first time in a long time that he had eaten alone. He missed the others, but   
he'd have to get used to it if they were going to be safe.  
Serena walked to the usual spot beneath the tree in the corner of the   
school yard. Amy and Lita were already waiting for her and, they thought,   
Michael. She sat down and opened her meal.  
"Where's Michael?" Amy asked.  
"He said that he didn't want to come out today," Serena said.  
"Was something wrong?" Lita asked, slightly worried.  
"He said that it was nothing important, but my important-sense said   
differently," Serena said.  
"Should I go check on him?" Lita asked.  
"No, I think it might be better to let him deal with this on his own,"   
Serena said. "I think he wants to be left alone for a while."  
"All right," Lita said, seeming a bit discomforted at the thought. Serena   
began the daily ritual of sifting through Lita's food for a bit of dessert.   
"He's been acting really nervous around me for the past couple of days," Lita   
said.  
"Yeah, he's been like that around me, too," Amy said.  
"I'll try to talk to him after school," Lita said. "Maybe he'll tell me   
what's going on this time."  
"You've already tried talking to him?" Serena asked.  
"I tried Saturday after dinner, when I first noticed it," Lita said. "He   
wouldn't tell me anything."  
"I don't know if you should try it again," Amy said. "Pushing something   
like that might not be a good idea."  
"I want to know what's so important," Lita said.  
"Do you want me to come along with you?" Serena asked.  
"No, I'll talk to him alone," Lita said. "I think I'd get better results   
without anyone else around."  
The girls ate and talked for the rest of lunch until the bell rang a   
little while later. Serena and Amy walked back in to their class and put their   
things back in their desks. Before class started, Serena walked to Michael's   
desk to talk to him.  
"So, did you have a nice lunch?" Serena asked Michael.  
"Yes, I rather did," Michael said. "It gave me a chance to do some   
thinking that needed to be done."  
"Was it about the thing that you said wasn't important?" Serena asked.  
"Yeah, as a matter of fact, it was," Michael replied.  
"Well then, it must be important," Serena said. "Come on, Michael! You   
know you can trust me! Whatever it is, tell me!"  
"No," Michael said simply. He turned around to look out the window. He   
hoped that Serena wouldn't try to press the topic further. He really couldn't   
tell her why he was going to have to leave them behind. That would present a   
challenge, and she never turned those down. He might end up being their death,   
and they wouldn't know the better.  
"Michael, we can help you, whatever it is!" Serena said. "You know we're   
powerful enough to help you!" Michael ignored her and kept staring through the   
window.  
Sorry, Rena, he thought to himself. "You should go sit down now," he said   
to Serena. "Mrs. H'll be getting back soon, and you know how she hates seeing   
you out of your seat."  
Serena frowned and went to her seat. She slowly forgot about it as she   
fell into a stupor during the math lesson.  
  
Michael picked up his book-bag and walked out of the classroom as quickly   
as he could. As he walked through the door, he heard Serena call from behind   
him. He tried to ignore her, but she ran to catch up with him.  
"Look, Serena," Michael said as she caught up with him. "Please don't   
follow me. You can't help. Just stop trying."  
"Michael, is that what you really want?" she asked, looking at him   
questioningly.  
"No, Serena, but that's how it has to be," Michael said. Serena's face   
lit up with determination. Michael winced. That had been the wrong thing to   
say.  
"No, Michael it really doesn't! Just tell us-"  
"No, Serena, it's not going to happen that way," Michael said, walking   
away again towards his house. Serena watched him walk away, wishing that she   
could do something.  
"I can't get you to talk, but I know someone who can!" Serena yelled after   
him. "Lita's looking for you!"  
Michael winced at the challenge. "She can keep on looking for me. I'm   
leaving." They really know how to hit me hard, he thought to himself. He kept   
walking away from the school, hoping that he wouldn't meet anyone else that he   
knew. His feet were moving beneath him, but he didn't know where to direct   
them. He couldn't go home; they'd be expecting him to go there. The arcade   
would be the next place that they would check, and besides, Jennifer still   
worked there. He thought of going to the aquarium. None of them knew that he   
liked to go to the aquarium. He hoped that they'd give up after a while of not   
being able to reach him at his home.  
A short walk later, he stood outside of the aquarium. They had had a   
battle or two in the past with the heart snatchers and the later versions of the   
Dark Moon droids there. His mind flitted over the course of those battles, how   
they had easily defeated the weaklings with Sailor Moon's attacks. He had   
missed some of the battles, hadn't been there to help out. He hated to think   
that he hadn't given all that he could have. In the end, though, it was   
unimportant. They had gotten the work done. Both the Dark Moon and the   
Bureau of Bad Behavior had been destroyed, just as Queen Beryl and Queen   
Metallia before them.  
"Hi, Michael!" said a familiar voice from behind him. He winced slightly   
and turned to see Rini standing beside one of the fish tanks with Mrs. Tsukino.   
Michael didn't need that right then. He might be able to work around the   
others, but he liked Rini too much to be able to brush her off like he had the   
others. She just had that sort of disarming cuteness about her of a fluffy   
bunny rabbit.  
"Hi, Rini! Hello, Mrs. Tsukino!" Michael said to them, trying to act glad   
to meet them. "What are you two doing here?"  
"I promised Rini that if she did well on her Japanese test, I'd bring her   
here for the afternoon," Mrs. Tsukino said. "And what about you, Michael?"  
"Oh, nothing important," Michael said. "I just wanted to come and look at   
the fish for a while. It helps me to relax after school."  
"Do you want to walk around with us for a while?" Rini asked.  
"Well, I guess so," Michael said. "I'd get really bored alone here."  
"Then why didn't you come with Lita?" Rini asked. Man, those Tsukinos   
just didn't stop!  
"I didn't see her after school," he said. It was bad enough that he'd   
have to leave his friends. At least he wouldn't sink to lying. Michael, Rini   
and Mrs. Tsukino walked along the displays of fish, looking long and hard at the   
beautiful specimens from the Pacific Coral Reefs. "I really enjoy looking at   
the fish here," Michael said to Rini. "I just wish that they didn't have to be   
held behind these glass walls."  
"What do you mean?" Rini asked.  
"Well, most of these fish are harmless. I would love to be able to swim   
with them," Michael said. He thought for a minute. "Well, on second thought,   
the fish would probably get hurt. After all, most people don't know how to act   
around these critters.  
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Rini said. "Although I'd like to swim with   
them, too." Michael walked a little further down the cases while Rini kept   
watching the large fish swimming past the glass. Michael looked into the next   
case and gasped in amazement.  
"Rini! Come look at this one!" Rini ran over to the smaller case and   
gazed through the glass. All she saw was a bunch of seaweed.  
"What's so cool about that?" Rini asked.  
"I've never seen anything quite so cool at any other aquarium that I've   
been to!" Michael said.  
"It's a piece of seaweed," Rini said blandly, staring at Michael. "Are   
you pulling my leg?"  
"Take a closer look," Michael said, pointing at the thing in the tank.   
Rini leaned close to the glass and squinted to get a better look at what was   
inside. It swam up to the top of the tank and turned to face Rini. She gave a   
little start.  
"What's that?!" she exclaimed.  
"It's called a leafy sea dragon," Michael explained. "Those leaves on its   
body make it look like seaweed. That way, it isn't eaten by bigger animals."  
As Rini "oohed" and "ahhed" at the sea creature, Michael heard his   
communicator go off. Rini's Lunaball started going off, too. Michael let his   
communicator ring. He was sure that they were just trying to reach him to talk   
to him. Rini turned on her Lunaball's communicator.  
"What's up, guys?" Rini asked.  
"We've got trouble downtown!" Mina's voice called. "Does anyone know   
where Michael is?"  
"He's here with me," Rini said. "We'll be there as soon as we can get   
away from Serena's mom."  
"Hurry! This is really bad!" Mina exclaimed. They heard an explosion in   
the background before the communicator channel closed.  
"Okay, that doesn't sound good," Michael said. The two ran quickly back   
to Mrs. Tsukino. "Mrs. Tsukino, I just got a call on my cell phone, and the   
girls want to see us. Can we go meet them?"  
"Well, I guess so, but you haven't seen all of the aquarium yet!" Mrs.   
Tsukino said.  
"That's all right," Rini said. "Michael said that he would bring me back   
some other time to see the rest of it, and I've really had a good time today!   
Thank you for bringing me!"  
"Well, you're welcome, Rini!" Mrs. Tsukino said. "Now, you and Serena   
make sure that you're home in time for supper."  
"We will!" Rini replied as she and Michael rushed from the building. They   
made it to the nearest alleyway and transformed.  
"Europa Power Transformation!"  
"Moon Prism Power!"  
Sailors Europa and Chibi-Moon moved quickly to the top of the building and   
started making their way towards the smoke and explosions in the distance. They   
arrived on the scene to the sight of destruction of all types. Cars had been   
blown up and thrown into buildings. There were people strewn about the street,   
unmoving.  
"This doesn't look very good at all," Europa said. "Rini, this may be too   
dangerous for you. You may want to stand back until we've seen what we're up   
against."  
"I'll be okay! I'm just as strong as any of you!" Chibi-Moon said.   
Europa was interrupted in his protest by two figures joining them on the   
rooftop. Europa gave a start before realizing that it was Venus and Mars.  
"So, what have we got here? More critters from the Negaverse?" Europa   
asked.  
"It doesn't look so," Venus said. "It's just some weirdo with a machine   
arm, leg, and face." Europa gasped and narrowed his eyes.  
"We've been trying to take care of him ourselves, but he's just too   
strong," Mars said.  
"He's mine," Europa exclaimed, jumping to the ground.  
"No, Europa! You can't take him alone!" Venus exclaimed.  
"LEAVE ME!" he yelled at them. He ran into the street and looked around   
for the man. He was afraid that his time had run out. He had waited until too   
late to try to protect the others. He'd have to end it now if he had any hope   
of saving them. An explosion racked the ground down the street from him,   
sending some hiding people flying through the air and landing with a thud   
against the nearest building about ten feet up. They fell the height and landed   
on the ground, blood oozing from their injuries.  
"I thought this would get your attention, my good man," Gerolus said,   
striding from the alleyway from where he had destroyed the ground beneath the   
retreating people.  
"I'm not your good anything, you sadistic bastard," Europa said. "I was   
hoping that I had killed you last time."  
"You should know better than that, you impotent bastard," Gerolus mocked.   
"You're not good enough to be rid of me. I'm not stopping until you are dead."  
"I thought you were just going to kill the people who are closest to me,"   
Europa said. "You know, the whole eternal torture thing."  
"After our last encounter, my mind was changed," Gerolus said, pointing to   
his mechanical leg. "After you robbed me of another part of myself, took   
another two years of my life to this confrontation, my mind was changed."  
"I should have taken more," Europa said. The rage from two years ago was   
rising from the center of his body again.  
"I know more about you than you think," Gerolus said. "You were taught   
not to kill people under any circumstance. You want to work by that rule. If   
there's any way around killing, you're supposed to find it. Well, don't try it   
this time. If you can kill me, do it. I will extend the same courtesy to you."  
"I have no intention to let you live," Europa said. He felt the burning   
feeling reach his hands. As soon as it reached the tip of his fingers, he threw   
as much of his energy as he could into one shot of earth that streaked towards   
Gerolus. Before it hit him, though, he had drawn back his normal left hand and   
thrown it forward, through the spike. The shards of earth flew back at him,   
striking him in the left shoulder, and cutting him deeply. Blood began to ooze   
down his arm slowly.  
Europa didn't have much time to pause, because Gerolus was running towards   
him with his mechanical fist cocked back. He jumped over the punch that Gerolus   
threw and kicked at Gerolus's head. Before his foot could connect, Gerolus had   
brought his other hand up to grab Europa's leg and slammed him into the pavement   
at his feet. Europa groaned in pain and tried to push himself up onto his   
elbows. Gerolus placed his mechanical foot on Europa's back and held him down.  
"How does the pain feel, Europa?" Gerolus asked. "Go ahead and get used   
to it, if you can. You'll be feeling it for a long time before you die. I can   
almost feel my old foot pushing into your back, crushing the breath from your   
lungs. Rather appropriate." The foot began to push harder into Europa's back.   
He couldn't breathe. His strength was beginning give out. He tried pushing   
himself up, but the machine was too strong for him.  
Looking down the street, he saw the other Sailor Scouts standing in the   
street. "Venus Love Chain, Encircle!" Venus yelled out, as a chain of energy   
wrapped around Gerolus's chest and arms. Gerolus's attention was drawn from   
Europa to the other Scouts.  
"That's our friend that you've got there! Your evil has taken the peace   
away from the people of this city and interrupted our well-deserved vacation!"   
Sailor Moon exclaimed. "You have taken the lives of innocent people, and for   
that I cannot forgive you! In the name of the Moon, I will punish you!"  
"Oh, you think you can take me, do you?" Gerolus said, grinning. "This is   
a cute little chain." He brought his mechanical hand up and crushed the chain.   
Before any of the others could act, he had rushed the distance between Europa   
and the other Scouts and was trying to deliver a power-punch to any of them that   
he could reach. Europa had gotten some of his strength back and picked his head   
up to see the attacks being thrown. As he watched, Gerolus brought his fist   
forward and slammed it into Venus's gut, sending her flying back. A surge of   
anger rushed through his body. He released a pained scream from the depths of   
his mind, stood up, and let his rage take control of his actions.  
A column of earth was raised from the ground underneath Gerolus and   
dropped quickly, setting him off-balance. The ground was raised and dropped a   
few times until Gerolus fell down. Then, Europa raised another large chunk from   
the ground near him and started pushing down on him, crushing him flat.  
"So, how do *you* like the pain, Gerolus?" Europa growled, moving closer   
to him. "I don't care if you try to destroy me. I can handle that. But you   
never-" Europa summoned more Earth to add some weight to the pile on top of   
Gerolus. "NEVER TOUCH MY FRIENDS!"  
"Well-played, Europa," Gerolus said from beneath the pile of concrete and   
earth. "But I hope you know that I've been preparing for this since last time."  
"Europa! Stop!" Jupiter exclaimed. "What are you talking about?"  
"I'll explain it to you later," Europa said. "As soon as I've taken care   
of this scum."  
"Europa, you know that we're not supposed to kill people!" Mercury   
exclaimed.  
"There's an exception to every rule!" Europa yelled back.  
"Michael, please, don't do this!" Moon exclaimed.  
"Sailor Moon, don't try to stop me. I'll fill you in on this later.   
You'll understand it," Europa said.  
"Don't worry about me, Sailor Moon," Gerolus said, pushing up the mound of   
earth off of his body and higher into the air. Europa used his energy to   
increase the weight again. He had no idea how Gerolus could be lifting that   
much weight. As the weight increased, Gerolus kept rising. Europa added more   
weight in the vain hopes of holding him in his place. Out of the corner of his   
eyes, he could see the scouts forming a ring to perform the Sailor Planet Power   
attack. They knew that since Gerolus wasn't an evil spirit, it wouldn't kill   
him, only weaken him. Then, Europa could finish him off. Europa smiled at the   
proposition. He'd just have to hold Gerolus for another minute or two.  
Gerolus had picked up the pile of debris above his head and was standing.   
He saw the Sailor Scouts begin to glow and threw the earth at them. Before it   
could hit, Europa unsummoned it and positioned another spike to stab Gerolus   
with. It never connected, though, as Gerolus turned and punched it through as   
he had the first. By then, the other scouts had powered up the Sailor Planet   
Power attack.  
"Mercury Power!" Gerolus looked up at them. He could feel the energy   
flowing into them. He grimaced at the ball of blue energy that formed at the   
center of the circle.  
"Mars Power!"  
"Jupiter Power!"  
"This is getting a bit crowded for my liking," Gerolus said. "I'm all for   
a fair fight, Europa."  
"Venus Power!"  
"If you want to take me on in one, come to the Starlight Tower. I'll be   
waiting for you!" Gerolus exclaimed as he removed the panel from the last time   
from his pocket.  
"Moon Power!" Gerolus pressed the button and disappeared again just as in   
the last battle. Europa watched wordlessly as the villain disappeared, a look   
of shock plastered on his face.  
"NO!" he exclaimed. The last ounce of his energy left him as the danger   
disappeared, and he fell to the ground, exhausted and face-down. He was able to   
muster up the strength to turn himself over with a little bit of effort. He   
looked up at the blue, cloudless sky as tears of frustration began to form in   
his eyes.  
The other scouts powered down their attack and ran to where Europa was   
laying on the ground. Lita reached him first and wrapped him tightly in her   
arms. "I'm sorry, everyone," Europa said.  
"Michael, it's all right," Jupiter said, tears shining in her eyes.   
"Don't worry about it!"  
"But I've put you all in danger," Michael said. "Damn it! How could he   
have gotten so strong?!"  
"Let's get out of here," Venus said. "The police should be here soon, and   
it won't look good if they find us here. I should know." Jupiter picked up   
Europa on her back and carried him as the seven of them worked their way away   
from the scene of the battle. They stopped a few blocks later and reverted.  
"Could you please explain to us now what's going on?" Raye asked.  
"We should let him rest," Serena said.  
"No, Serena, I'll be all right," Michael said. "I should explain this to   
you now so that you don't wonder too much."  
"All right, if you insist," Serena said.  
"It all started three years ago," Michael began, and he went on to   
describe the two past experiences with Gerolus. By the time he had finished,   
the other Scouts had shocked looks on their faces. "And he killed my friend to   
hurt me, and he wants to kill me now, and I'm not strong enough to stave him   
off, even at my strongest! I've failed myself! I've failed Yvette! I've   
failed you guys! And now, you're all in danger because of me! I'm sorry,   
Serena. This is why I was trying to stay away from you all today at school.   
I've been afraid of this since I met you, and since there are no more enemies   
right now, I was going to try to protect you." At this, Michael gave up trying   
to control himself and cried onto Lita's shoulder.  
"Michael, no!" Lita began. "You haven't failed anyone! That guy was so   
powerful that none of us could have taken him on our own. It'll just take all   
of us to beat him!"  
"But this is my fight!" Michael exclaimed.  
"No, Michael, this is our fight," Amy said. "This Gerolus guy messes with   
all of us when he messes with one of us."  
"Yeah, Michael, you don't have to face him alone when you have all of us   
with you," Mina said.  
"And besides, he's gunning for us, too," Serena said.  
"Thanks for pointing that out, meatball-head," Raye said, glaring at   
Serena.  
"What?! He is!" Serena said, returning the glare.  
"But that's not important!" Raye exclaimed. "What's important is that   
Michael knows that we're here for him!"  
"I never said that we weren't!" Serena exclaimed back.  
"Please stop, you two," Michael said, having regained his composure for   
the moment. "I've got a headache, and now isn't the time."  
"Michael, I think that you've had enough stress for the day," Mina said.  
"Yeah, I think you're right. I'll head home for the night," Michael said.   
He stood up unsteadily and started walking slowly towards his house. Lita   
watched after him for a minute. He stumbled a few steps and stopped to steady   
himself.  
"I'm going with him," Lita said. She ran to catch up with him and grabbed   
his arm as they walked along. "I thought you might want some company," she   
replied to his inquisitive glance.  
"Thank you," Michael said. He looked at her as they walked down the   
street. Michael kept thinking back to the battle, when Gerolus had attacked the   
Scouts. He had been so afraid that they would be injured. They were extremely   
lucky that they had made it out basically unharmed. Other than a few bruises   
and a couple of bad cuts, and most of those were his. He couldn't live with   
himself if any of them, especially Lita, had been hurt or killed.  
"Michael, I just want you to know that I'm here for you," Lita said. "You   
can count on me for anything."  
"Thank you, Lita," Michael said. The two stopped to look into each   
others' eyes. Michael looked back to be sure that they weren't being followed.   
When he was satisfied that no one was there, he leaned towards her and pressed   
his lips against hers. For a few moments, a slightly dizzy feeling spun through   
his head as the rest of him realized what was going on. He really enjoyed it.   
After a couple of minutes, he broke the kiss and looked into her eyes again.   
"Well, that was nice," he said, smiling. That was the first time that he had   
kissed her. Usually, they had held back for fear of it being the wrong time.   
They both knew that it was the right time then.  
"Yeah, I enjoyed that," Lita replied, smiling back.  
"Care to go again?" Michael asked, kissing her again. They stayed there   
for some time while people walked around them before they broke apart again.   
"Thank you, Lita," he said.  
"Anytime you need it," she replied, smiling and wrapping him in her arms.   
The sun had sunk below the tops of the buildings, and Michael's parents were   
probably beginning to wonder where he had gotten to. "We should go check by my   
house. My parents will start worrying about me soon. I'm sure my mom won't   
mind if you stay for dinner tonight, if you want to."  
"I think I will," Lita said. They started walking again towards Michael's   
apartment. Something was worrying Lita, though. "Michael, you're thinking of   
going after Gerolus on your own, aren't you?"  
"Well, I was considering it," Michael said.  
"Michael, please don't go without us," Lita said.  
"He said that he wouldn't fight us all together, Lita," Michael said. "I   
am the only one who can kill him."  
"No, you aren't!" Lita exclaimed. "We just told you that we're all in   
this together! Michael, you were almost killed today working on your own."  
"Yeah, but I wasn't using strategy," Michael said. "I was trying brute   
strength, like him. That is why I lost, I believe."  
"And what sort of a strategy is going alone against a super-human assassin   
with advanced technology attached to all parts of his body who wants to kill   
you?" Lita asked.  
"To me, it's a pretty good one," Michael said. Lita looked into his eyes,   
which were set with determination. She couldn't say anything to change his   
mind. Her eyes started to mist up at the thought of Michael dying under the   
gaze of Gerolus, his mechanical eye glowing over the dying boy and a cruel grin   
on his face. She grabbed Michael and held him closely again. "Lita, don't   
worry about me. I'll make sure that I come back for you." He smiled warmly at   
her and leaned his head on her shoulder. "How could I die when I've got someone   
like you to come back to?"  
"Michael..." Lita sighed. He was completely oblivious to the real issue.  
"Now, come on, let's forget about this for tonight. We've worked hard,   
now let's relax for a while," Michael said. "By the way, is there any way that   
you can summon your sword when you're not in Sailor form?"  
"Well, yeah," Lita said. She held out her hands and the sword appeared.  
"Mind if I borrow it for a while?"  
"Well, sure, but you won't be able to use it like I do," Lita said.  
"That's all right," Michael said. "I won't need to, I hope."  
"What do you mean?" she asked.  
"It's a sword. It wasn't meant to be used magically," Michael said,   
gripping its hilt. Lita watched him nervously as he swung the sword a few   
times. He held the sword down by his side and offered his hand to Lita. "Shall   
we head on?" Lita took the proffered hand and they continued on to her house to   
bandage Michael before dinner. She couldn't shake the nervous feeling upon   
seeing Michael carrying the steel broad-sword with the jewel-encrusted hilt.  
Michael couldn't stop thinking about Gerolus, though. There'd have to be   
a strategy that he could use to win against Gerolus. He had the equipment that   
he wanted for the battle. He would only have to practice with it, and he would   
be ready to beat Gerolus.  
  
It was midnight. Lita had left an hour before with a nice good-night kiss   
for Michael, Michael's parents were asleep, and he couldn't sleep. He decided   
to head out to get some practice with the sword before he used it the next day.   
The best place to do it would probably be the park, since it would be empty at   
that time of night. He could easily swing away at whatever he wanted for   
however long he wanted. Then again, working alone wouldn't be very effective at   
all. He thought of who he could ask for help in training. He doubted that Raye   
would be asleep at that time, but she'd ask too many questions. At that point,   
though, he didn't care. The communicator went off a few times before Raye   
picked up, rubbing her eyes.  
"Yes, Michael, what's up?" Raye asked drowsily. He guessed by the pajamas   
that she was wearing that he had woken her up after all.  
"Sorry to wake you up. I need your help at the park," Michael said. "If   
you don't mind missing some sleep."  
"Is it important?" Raye asked.  
"Pretty important," Michael replied, shrugging.  
"Okay, I'll be there in a little while," Raye said and turned off her   
communicator. Michael quietly picked up the sword, wrote a note for his   
parents, just in case he was out that late, and left for the park.  
When he reached the park bench where they usually met beside the fountain,   
Raye hadn't arrived yet. He took a seat on the bench and stared up at the sky.   
A few clouds had rolled in since the afternoon, but he could still see the stars   
beyond, and the almost-full moon. A warm breeze ran across his skin as he   
looked up. He stretched his arms out and reclined as much as he could on a park   
bench. As sure as he was about wanting to fight Gerolus, he was afraid for his   
life.  
"Hey, Michael," Raye said from behind the bench. Michael tilted his head   
further back to see Raye standing over him.  
"Hey, Raye," he greeted back. "Thanks for coming out at this time of the   
night. Sorry I woke you up."  
"It's all right," Raye said. "I hadn't been asleep for long when you   
called. Now, what's so important that you needed to meet me this late - early -   
whatever it is?"  
"I need some help training for this battle that's coming up," Michael   
said.  
"Yeah, but we aren't going to fight him tomorrow or anything," Raye said.  
"And I just want someone to talk to," Michael said. "We never get a   
chance to talk as friends these days, so maybe between training bouts, I thought   
that we could talk some."  
"You called me out here for a chat at almost one in the morning?!" Raye   
exclaimed.  
"No, Raye, I need you to help me train tonight. I need to be a bit more   
skilled with this thing tomorrow than I am tonight," Michael said, patting   
Jupiter's sword.  
"Why do you need it by tomorrow?" Raye asked.  
Michael thought for a moment. "I'm sorry, Raye, but I can't tell you," he   
said finally.  
"Oh, no," Raye said, crossing her arms. "There's a lot of stuff you   
haven't been telling us today. The others might be able to take it, but I   
won't. You tell me right now what your intentions are, or I go right back home,   
turn off my communicator, and go to sleep." Michael leaned forward, slouching   
on his knees. "You need to learn that you can trust us with anything important.   
I've known you for a year or so now, and I think that merits a bit more than you   
seem to think."  
Michael stared at her for a few minutes in silence. "I am going to fight   
Gerolus on my own tomorrow," Michael said. "This sword is my only hope to beat   
him. I need to learn to use it."  
"Does Lita know about this?" Raye asked.  
"Yes, and she's already tried talking me out of it," Michael said. "You   
can't talk me out of it. You can, however, offer me whatever help I need."  
"We aren't going to let you do this alone," Raye said. "We will follow   
you against your will if we have to. Because we care about you; because you're   
one of us." A smile crossed Raye's face. "And because if you die, we won't   
hear the end of it from Lita." Michael chuckled. "Now, shall we get to work   
with this sword?"  
"Raye, you and the others really are the best thing to have ever happened   
to me," Michael said, smiling.  
"Oh, stop talking like you're on death row," Raye said. "We're taking   
care of this guy tomorrow, and don't you think any differently about it."  
"Right!" Michael said. He stood up, held his crystal in the air and   
called out, "Europa Power Transformation!" Raye was close behind him with her   
own transformation cry. Europa picked up the sword, turned to face Mars, and   
said, "Don't take it easy on me! I need to give it my all!"  
"Don't worry, I know about as much about this as you do," Mars replied.   
She pulled her sword from her scabbard and held it up towards Europa. Europa's   
response was to run at her full tilt, brandishing the sword.  
  
Europa swung the sword once more at Mars, which she deflected easily,   
before he slumped to a knee, tired.  
"You're not too bad with that sword," Mars said.  
"Neither are you," Europa replied. "You may want to be a bit more   
careful, though. You almost cut me a couple of times."  
"Sorry about that," Mars said. "I got a bit carried away."  
"You were really enjoying yourself, weren't you?"  
"Yeah, I was," Mars said, smiling. "And you?"  
"I'm having a good time," Europa replied.  
"Even though you can barely stand up?" Mars asked.  
"Sure," Europa replied. "It's just nice having someone around to help me   
out."  
"You're lucky I stayed out here," Mars said. "If it was anyone other than   
you or the others, I'd have hit them and gone home."  
"Well, thanks for not hitting me," Europa replied, smiling. He looked up   
at the horizon. Sunrise was an hour or so away, and the horizon was starting to   
brighten from the night-time dark blue. "Take a look at that," Europa said,   
pointing to the distant light over the skyline. "Nice view, eh?" Mars looked   
in the direction that he was pointing.  
"Yeah, it's beautiful," Mars said sadly. "Sometimes I wish I had someone   
to watch it with."  
"You've got me this morning," Europa pointed out.  
"I mean a boyfriend," Mars said.  
"What about Chad?" Europa asked.  
"I don't really know how well he and I go together," Mars said, blushing.   
"He just isn't really the right kind of guy for me."  
"Oh, come on! Of course he is!" Europa said. "What about that time you   
saved his heart from being stolen?"  
"I just didn't want him to leave because of a misunderstanding," Raye   
said. "And none of us wanted to see someone lose their heart."  
"But you went after him when you didn't know that his heart was being   
stolen," Europa pointed out. "Look, it's not any of my business, I guess.   
Sorry 'bout that."  
"It's okay," Mars said.  
"So, how about, for right now, I'll be your surrogate boyfriend?" Europa   
suggested.  
"What?!" Mars exclaimed, shocked.  
"Well, since you don't have a boyfriend, and Lita isn't here, I'll be   
something like your boyfriend for now," Europa said. Mars's eyes showed her   
confusion. "It's something that my friends and I came up with at my old home.   
We did a lot of stuff, and sometimes the people we were going out with couldn't   
be there. So we decided that we'd act like each others' boy or girlfriend.   
Except for the physical stuff."  
"Well, as much as I appreciate the offer, I just wouldn't feel right doing   
it," Mars said. "Lita might not like it too much."  
"Well, if you insist," Europa said, smiling. "Just remember, if you   
change your mind, I'm here for you." He took a seat on the bench, looking at   
the horizon. "If you'd like, I've got a seat and you can join me to watch the   
sun."  
"Shouldn't we be training, like we came out here to do?" Mars asked.  
"We've been at it for a while, and I'm tired," Europa said. "I say it's   
time for a bit of a rest. I need a bit of a nap, but it's not happening today.   
Besides, I'm starting to ache from yesterday's battle."  
"Yeah, I know how it goes," Mars said, sitting down. The two of them   
reverted when Raye had settled back in the seat.  
"You're not the one who got his ass kicked," Michael said.  
"You didn't see what happened to Venus and me before you got there," Raye   
said.  
"You had fun, did you?" Michael asked sarcastically.  
"If by fun, you mean almost getting my lights punched out, then yeah,"   
Raye said.  
"You almost lost? But you and Mina make such a great team!" Michael   
exclaimed.  
"Well, all of us make a great team if we know how to work the right way,"   
Raye replied.  
"Yeah, we do work well together," Michael said. "Raye, thanks again for   
coming out here to help me. You really are a great friend."  
"Hey, any time, Michael," Raye replied. "Just, next time, try not to make   
it at one in the morning. I need my beauty rest."  
"If you insist," Michael replied, smiling. He looked back at the horizon   
and sighed sadly. He'd have to go back to reality soon, and he really didn't   
want to do that if it meant having to face Gerolus. For then, though, he'd   
enjoy the sunrise with Raye.  
  
"Serena, have you heard from Michael today?" Amy asked before classes   
started that morning. She had had a nagging feeling since he and Lita had left   
the night before that something was really wrong with Michael, no matter what he   
had said.  
"No, I haven't," Serena answered. "I haven't had a chance to talk to   
Lita, either, so I don't know what happened last night after they left, either."   
Amy watched the door of the classroom in the vain hopes of Michael walking in.  
"I think we should try his communicator," Amy said. "Just to see if he's   
there." She wanted to be sure that Michael was okay, and last night hadn't been   
the time. She'd take what she could at this point.  
"That's a good idea," Serena said, taking out her communicator. She   
pressed the button to call Michael's communicator and waited while it beeped   
away. A few moments later, Michael picked up his side of the communicator.  
"Hi, Amy, what's up?" Michael asked from his end.  
"We were just wondering if you were going to be coming to school today,"   
Amy said. "We'd really like to talk to you a bit."  
"No, I won't be there," Michael said. "By the way, do you think that you   
guys can make a quick stop by the Starlight Tower after school to check up on   
me?"  
"What?!" Amy exclaimed.  
"I said-"  
"I heard you, Michael, you just surprised me," Amy said. "Michael, please   
wait for us before you try anything with Gerolus!"  
"Amy, I've already gone over this with Raye and Lita. Don't make me do it   
a third time," Michael said. "Don't worry about me. I think I've got it   
figured this time."  
"Look, we'll be there as soon as we can," Amy said.  
"Okay, whatever you want," Michael replied, closing his end of the   
communicator.  
"Serena, we've got to go!" Amy said. "Michael's trying to fight Gerolus   
alone! Let's call the others quickly!" Amy pressed the buttons for the others   
besides Michael and filled them in on the situation. Raye and Lita were already   
heading to the Starlight tower behind Michael, and the other four would get   
there soon thereafter.  
  
Michael looked up at the top of the Starlight Tower, the sun behind it   
casting a shadow over his path. People were walking around the area too   
frequently for him to transform there. He'd have to get to the top before he   
could transform. He walked into the lobby of the bottom floor and was met by an   
empty room. Most of the furniture and decorum had been destroyed by something,   
probably Gerolus. He was surprised that there were no police there, unless no   
one had left the building. The thought unsettled Michael. He didn't think that   
Gerolus would kill innocents, but there was no way he could be sure. Then, he   
saw something on the wall that unsettled him further. A message was written in   
blood across the wall.  
  
Get in the elevator and come to the top, or more will die.  
  
Well, Michael had to give him points for audacity. Creativity and   
originality were not his strong points, though. He doubted that anyone else   
would be getting there anytime soon, so he went ahead and transformed, carrying   
the sword by his side. He walked to the elevator, which seemed to be working   
perfectly. He pressed the button and started to rise. A small pool of blood   
was on the floor of the elevator, probably the same person that Gerolus had used   
to write the message.  
The elevator reached the top floor a few minutes later. As Europa exited,   
the stench of blood reached his nose. To the left of the elevator, a pair of   
security guards were dead on the floor, their necks turned around backward, like   
Yvette's. On the right was a person with her throat slit. He'd have to add   
them to the list of people he was avenging.  
A little further down the hall, there was a conference room with the door   
standing open. Europa peeked through the open door to see the room cleared of   
furniture, Gerolus standing in front of the window and staring at the city.  
"So, you defend this place, do you?" Gerolus said.  
"Small talk? It's so unbecoming of you," Europa said. "Let's get on with   
this. I don't want those innocent people suffering for longer than they have   
to. I really didn't think you would kill anyone completely unrelated to me."  
"They threatened me," Gerolus said. "I may be strong, but I am mortal."  
"I'm ready and willing to test that theory," Europa replied, brandishing   
Jupiter's sword.  
"So, you're ready to feel pain?" Gerolus said, turning to face Europa.   
"Let me see what you've got!" Europa stood in the same place, waiting for   
Gerolus to make the first move. "Waiting for me, are you? I was going to give   
you the advantage, but I guess I'll take it myself!" Gerolus pointed his thumb   
at Europa, and a laser shot out of it towards Europa. Europa jumped to the side   
quickly, just barely being caught in the shoulder by it. He grunted in pain and   
landed on his knees, with the sword in front of him.  
Okay, bad idea, he thought. This sword is slowing me down.  
"Wow, first try! You must still be reeling from yesterday!" Gerolus   
exclaimed. The words cut into Europa's mind deeply. He just couldn't get as   
mad as he had been before! He was more annoyed with himself than he was with   
Gerolus! He stood up and took the attacking stance, facing his opponent.  
"All right, that's a good shot! Now, it's my turn!" Europa exclaimed,   
running at Gerolus and trying to ignore the pain. He slashed with the sword,   
hoping to do something, anything. Gerolus caught the sword with his mechanical   
hand, pulled it from Europa's grip and threw it towards the door. He threw a   
punch with his real hand, driving it deep into Europa's chest plate. The metal   
gave way, letting the fist plow into his chest. The force threw Europa back and   
slammed him into the wall. He slumped to the ground, weakened further.  
"Really, Cross, didn't you learn anything? Physical attacks against a   
machine?" Gerolus exclaimed. Europa passed out from weakness. "Well, let me   
take a look at this." He opened a small compartment on his wrist and took out a   
knife. "I will take immense pleasure in this." He drew back with the knife and   
brought it down as-  
"Jupiter Thunder Strike!" A shot of energy came from the door, where   
Jupiter and Mars stood, both brandishing their swords. The knife was knocked   
from Gerolus's hand and onto the floor nearby.  
"Back off from him," Mars said. Gerolus smiled back at them from his   
place over Europa.  
"Well, hello, miladies!" he said warmly. "My, but you are a cute bunch   
that he's got here. A lot easier on the eyes than his old friends."  
"Shut up and move away from our friend!" Jupiter exclaimed.  
"Actually, I don't think that I will!" Gerolus exclaimed back, a small   
panel opening up on his arm and a small missile shooting out of it. Jupiter and   
Mars jumped out of its way, letting it fly unimpeded into the wall behind them.   
"Now, let me take care of you one at a time, along with your friend!" He ran at   
Sailor Jupiter, grabbed her by the neck and threw her into Sailor Mars. The two   
fell backwards onto the ground, dazed.  
"I don't think that we're going to win like this," Jupiter said as they   
stood up. She held her sword upright, as did Sailor Mars.  
"Cross-Cut attack!" the two exclaimed, letting their swords fly towards   
Gerolus, Mars's slightly faster than Jupiter's. As the one reached him, he   
grabbed it in mid-air with his mechanical hand and swung it around to deflect   
the other one. He then began a frantic sword duel with Jupiter's magical sword.   
Mars watched his movements closely, wishing that she could have her sword back.   
Gerolus seemed to be falling back slowly towards Jupiter, who was concentrating   
on controlling her sword. Mars watched as he made his way in a straight line   
towards Jupiter. He jumped out of the way of the slicing blade, which continued   
on its path and headed towards Jupiter. Mars made a leap to push Jupiter out of   
the way, making the sword drop to the ground.  
"What was that for?!" Jupiter exclaimed.  
"Your sword was about to slice you in two!" Mars exclaimed. Gerolus threw   
Mars's sword aside and ran at the two Scouts. They jumped to two sides,   
splitting up to divide his attention.  
"No, it wasn't! I had complete control over it! I would have taken care   
of it!" Jupiter said. The two rushed at Gerolus from different sides, Jupiter   
picking up her sword and slashing at Gerolus. As he blocked Jupiter's sword   
with his mechanical hand, Mars jump-kicked him in the back. He jerked the sword   
from Jupiter's hand and threw it to the side with Mars's sword. Mars's kick   
sent him reeling forward slightly. He recovered and punched Mars in the gut   
with his real hand and sliced through Jupiter's arm-plate with his knife finger.   
A small trickle of blood ran down Jupiter's arm from the cut.  
The two unarmed Sailor Scouts turned to reach their swords, and Gerolus   
took the opportunity to point his ring finger at them. Some small darts shot   
from the tip, hitting them in the small gaps between the plates of their armor.   
Jupiter grunted in pain as she realized what had happened. She picked the dart   
out of her skin and threw it to the ground. She turned and went again for her   
sword. Mars had picked up her own and threw Jupiter hers. Mars reached for her   
head as a dizzy spell overtook her momentarily.  
"Oh, don't tell me..." Mars groaned.  
"You guessed it! Tranquilizers!" Gerolus exclaimed cheerily. "Not   
exactly the most original, but it is extremely effective, don't you think?"  
"No!" Jupiter exclaimed as she fell to her knees, dizzy. "Jupiter Thunder   
Strike!" she exclaimed, letting loose with a shot of lightning. Her aim was   
off, sending the shot flying into the windows and destroying part of them. She   
cursed and fell to the ground, her eyes closing. As Gerolus walked to them,   
Michael woke up finally. He sat up and blinked a few times to focus his sight.   
As he saw the other Scouts lying on the ground, Gerolus moving towards him, the   
rage returned to him. He felt the heat course through his veins as Gerolus   
picked up Mars and Jupiter and dropped them again to the floor, face down.  
"GEROLUS!!!" he screamed as he stood up, energy returning to his body.   
"Never touch my friends!!" he exclaimed, mentally bringing the sword to his   
grasp.  
"Oh, this again!" Gerolus exclaimed back at him. "My, but are you feeling   
this déjà vu, too?"  
Before Gerolus could react, Europa was standing beside him, swinging the   
sword at him haphazardly. Gerolus brought his mechanical hand up to block the   
sword again. This time, Europa channeled his remaining energy into the sword,   
giving it the extra thrust that it needed to serve its purpose. The blade   
sliced cleanly through the metal and power source and kept on moving. The look   
on Gerolus's face changed markedly in that split second from one of triumph to   
one of downfall. The blade of the sword protruded from his chest, Europa still   
grasping the hilt. Gerolus looked down at the blade, the blood pouring from his   
wound. A moment later, the power source of his arm reacted to the damage,   
exploding and sending Gerolus flying through the window. Europa wanted to run   
to watch him fall, but he fell to the ground, unconscious again. All he would   
have seen would have been Gerolus reaching into his pocket for the same remote   
control that had saved him so many times before. He disappeared from sight   
again mid-fall.  
  
Sailors Mercury, Moon, Chibi-Moon and Venus ran through the door of the   
meeting room to the sight of Europa, Jupiter, and Mars lying on the floor,   
motionless.  
"Guys!" Moon yelled out as she ran for the closest one, Europa. Mercury   
and Venus joined her quickly. Mercury turned on her computer and scanned the   
three Scouts on the floor. Chibi-Moon went to check on Jupiter.  
"Jupiter and Mars are fine, but Europa's signs are pretty weak," she   
reported a moment later. "Looks like he took a heck of a beating."  
"Europa! Can you hear me?!" Moon exclaimed, sitting Europa up into her   
lap. "Michael, wake up!" He didn't move. Mercury moved to Jupiter and Mars   
and woke them up fairly easily.  
"Where's Michael?" Mars asked.  
"Sailor Moon's got him," Mercury replied.  
"Is he going to be all right?" Mars asked.  
"I can't tell," Mercury said. "My computer's having some trouble even   
sensing his vitals."  
"I told him not to try it on his own," Mars said, hitting the floor. "Is   
Jupiter okay?"  
"Yes, she's fine," Mercury replied. "I'm about to wake her up." At that   
moment, Jupiter rendered the service unnecessary by opening her eyes and sitting   
up. She saw Europa and rushed over to him and Sailor Moon. Outside, the sounds   
of sirens rang across the street.  
"We should be getting out of here soon," Venus said.  
"Good idea," Mercury replied. Jupiter picked him up over her back and   
they performed the Sailor Teleport. They landed on top of a small building a   
few blocks away from the Tower, and Jupiter set about trying to get Europa to   
wake up.  
"Please, Michael! Open your eyes!" Jupiter exclaimed. He still wouldn't   
respond. Tears began to form in Jupiter's eyes as she kept calling Michael to   
give her some idea that he was all right.  
"His pulse is returning to normal," Mercury said. "His breathing rate is   
normal for sleep. It looks to me like he'll be all right soon. He just needs a   
lot of rest."  
"I can see why," Jupiter said. "I'll take him to my place. Otherwise,   
his parents might kind of wonder what's going on with him coming home so early   
and injured so badly."  
"Good idea," Mars said.  
"I think the rest of us should get back to school," Mercury said. "We'll   
be late, but we need to go there."  
"School? I just got out of there!" Sailor Moon complained.  
"Yes, but we should go back there just so that we don't miss anything,"   
Mercury said.  
"But we've had a rough day already! We deserve a break!"  
"Yeah, all that walking!" Mars exclaimed. "Did you actually have to go   
up-hill?"  
"Actually, we ran here," Moon stated matter-of-factly.  
"I'm with Amy here. If we're not there, it may start to arouse suspicion   
or something like that," Mars said.  
"You don't have to go back to Ms. Haruna," Moon replied.  
"No, but sometimes, I wish I did," Mars said. "My teacher can be such a   
pain sometimes! From what I've heard, Ms. Haruna would be my choice, hands   
down!"  
"I'll trade you!" Moon exclaimed.  
"No, thanks! I've got a math exam today, so I'd rather not get an F on   
it," Mars exclaimed. Moon decided to give up and turned away. Mars wasn't   
going to admit that Moon was right, so there was no point in wasting her own   
time. Five of the six reverted and split up to go their separate ways.   
Jupiter took Europa back to her apartment to take care of him while the others   
went back to their classes.  
Jupiter reached her apartment building and reverted the two of them to   
easier reach her apartment. She took Michael inside and laid him down on her   
couch. After quickly bandaging both of their wounds, she ran to the kitchen for   
a wet rag to cool him down. When she returned, his eyes were open, but he still   
laid on his back, staring at the ceiling.  
"Where's Gerolus?" Michael asked weakly.  
"I don't know," Lita replied. "He was gone by the time I woke up."  
"The last thing I remember was Gerolus flying through the window with no   
arm and a deep cut in the chest," Michael said. He closed his eyes and brought   
his hand to his forehead. "Gods, I hope that's over with."  
"You and me, both," Lita replied. "I want some peaceful time with my   
friends. I don't want to have to fight all the time."  
"Neither do I. But it seems that wherever we go, there's something to   
fight. Might it just be us?" Michael asked rhetorically.  
"What do you mean?" Lita asked.  
"Gerolus was here because I was," Michael said. "The forces that you and   
I have fought were here because we have a planet that's worth taking over.   
Might it be because we make it that way?"  
"No, it's not because of us," Lita said. "They'd try to take us over   
anyway, because power is all they lust for. If we didn't stop them, then   
everyone would suffer."  
Michael looked at Lita. He knew that she was right; he just wished that   
they didn't have to suffer so much for everyone else. If they kept it up, they   
would be martyrs some day.  
"Now, let's try to think about something else, okay?" Lita asked. "I   
think that's enough dull and dreary for one day. Why don't I let you rest for a   
while, and later on, we'll go out to the arcade!"  
Michael smiled. "Okay, Lita. You're probably right. I was feeling a   
little bit depressed. Now, let's enjoy what peace we can get." Lita leaned   
over to him and pressed her lips against his, a reassuring gesture. When she   
separated, she stood up to go into her bedroom.  
"I think I need a bit of a nap, too," Lita said.  
"Mind if I join you?" Michael asked, a smug look crossing his face.  
"Not so fast, Cassanova" Lita replied, smiling coyly and closing the door   
behind her. Yeah, he was going to be just fine.  
  
End 


End file.
